Teaching A Rock To Fly (石學會飛)
by calcu22
Summary: Aang might not be the only airbender and might not be the only one with a past life. That doesn't mean Vidya was going to mess up one of her favorite show. Nope, she just want to survive and enjoy life. Maybe that's the reason why she keep running into people she knows. Everyone knows how the universe loves to prove you wrong. Si/reincarnation that might be oc/Zuko.
1. The Child With Eyes Too Old

_Back when Avatar first ended I tried writing a fanfic about a girl who discovered she was an Airbender. It didn't go so far, but I decided to remake it by making that girl a straight up SI of past me. This first chapter in very introduction like, but hopefully it's not too bad._

 _Edited 7/15: This chapter has been beta'd by Rosezelene Ersa_

* * *

It ended with fire.

She woke to the sound of her mother yelling. She felt no alarm however, her thoughts merely wandering to the test she knew she had to take later that morning. For her advanced classes she had to take four tests, each with three parts, over the next month.

She had been studying laboriously the previous night, and her brow crinkled in annoyance at the jarring awakening. All she needed… was sleep.

Her hand reached out and brushed the surface of something smooth on her bedside table. The screen of her cell phone lit up, proclaiming the hour to be 3:04 AM.

Lazily the girl rose from her tangle of bed sheets and stormed up the basement stairs with a yawn, the light of her underground bedroom glowing softly behind her.

She didn't see the flames, nor could she smell the smoke.

Later she would realize that the fire had started outside, in the run down shed that was connected to the garage. There was a small pathway between that and the house. From the time her mom heard the lawnmower explode at 3:00, to when she sprinted frantically past the door that lead to the garage, the flames were already at the door.

The fire alarms haven't even gone off since the fire wasn't inside.

That changed sooner than she thought.

Suddenly, she could feel the heat. It crept up her arms and legs and clung to her skin in a hiss of ultimatum. She stopped walking and turned to the door… just as it shattered from the heat.

Almost blankly, she remembers thinking in those last few moments how at least she didn't have to worry about her tests.

Her life ended in fire.

* * *

Vidya was born on the last day of fall, during the last harvest of the year. It was their first child, and admittedly neither had spent much time around children before they decided to start a family themselves. Yet Li-An knew there was something different about their child.

Cheng was the one who named her Vidya, saying that their little girl already seemed like she was trying to figure out the world. Li-An though he was just being silly. She was a baby. Grandma Vidya told her that all babies look around because they are trying to get use to the world around them. Yet Li-An agreed to call her Vidya even if she wanted to name her first daughter something more normal.

The first thing Li-An notice that stuck with her for years to come was that the baby sleep through the night. This frightened the new mother, and led to many nights where she would wake up, running haphazardly into the other side of the room to see if she was even breathing. She had heard too many stories of babies that roll over in the middle of the night and suffocate themselves in the bed. On those nights, she just brought the baby into the bed with her and Cheng.

Still, Vidya would sleep all throughout the night without a sound. Then in the morning, it would seem like the only times that Vidya would cry was when she was hungry or needed to be cleaned. Even then it could hardly be called a cry; it normally stopped as soon as she started. Then she would be silent once more, looking around with eyes that seemed dull.

When she brought it up with her husband, he just thought she was smart enough to know when to cry.

"I told you she was going to be a smart one!" Cheng announced happily, and Li-An forced a smile.

It only made her wish to keep a keen eye on Vidya, and not in the normal way a mother watches her child. Always taking sidelong glances to catch the next odd thing her baby would do… to always prove to herself how the child she birthed was abnormal as they come. How awful was it that she was watching her own child in the manner of a cynic? She brooded continuously, and overtime her eyes grew cold. Li-An could never shake the feeling that Vidya... wasn't really a baby. Wasn't really HER baby.

* * *

"Mama."

Li-An dropped the plate and it clattered to the ground, it's unbreaking face mocking her as she turned around to face her "daughter".

Vidya was still on the soft woolen blanket her grandmother had made at her birth, lying on her stomach looking like any other six-month-old. She looked up at Li-An with wide eyes and a sweet smile that was slowly falling.

"What did you say honey?" Li-An testily inquired as she paced towards the child, trying to calm her agitated nerves.

She was just a baby. Maybe Vidya is finally starting to babble and it just sounded like...

"Ma. Ma." Vidya said more slowly, almost like she was testing the word out, before turning her unnaturally cognizant gaze back at Li-An. Almost as if she was waiting for the woman's reaction.

The mother looked to her child, knowing that she should be ecstatic that her baby is already talking. And yet… she wasn't. Li-An's mind churned with worry. If this kept up, she would have to worry about others might finding out. Then they would know her daughter wasn't normal.

Just then, the door slammed open and Li-An yelped.

"Sorry love, didn't mean to scare ya! But~ guess who was able to drive those flame heads back to the sea?!"

This time Li-An's face lit up in a genuine smile as Cheng's arms wrapped around her midriff and swung her around, the couple giggling quietly at the good news.

"Fame 'ead?"

Cheng pulled away and gave Vidya a huge grin, his arms falling back to his sides.

"That's right. Flame head. Those firebenders think that we are just going to roll over and let them take our land? We showed them all right!" Cheng said as he picked Vidya up.

"You didn't tell me she can talk now." Cheng said as he looked towards his wife.

Vidya copied him, her sparkling eyes latching onto her mother's uneasy frame.

"...She just said her first word a moment before you arrived."

"Really? You did? Can you say daddy? DAAADDY!" Cheng questioned as he held Vidya in front of him, gazing into her eyes.

Vidya's expression dulled and she shared a look with her mother, both appearing to question the sanity of the man of the house. Then, Li-An mused about what an odd look it was to see on a baby's face. Then she remembered. This was a baby!

"Da." She cooed, like it was nothing.

"OHHHHHH! Look- she said dad! You're going to be the smartest, strongest, and most beautiful person in this whole town!" Cheng said while spinning his little girl around.

Li-An smiled at the two, trying her best to act like everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Once she reached a year of age, Vidya would ask questions as frequently as she would draw breath. At first Li-An thought that her daughter was finally being normal, until she talked to her friends who were also new mothers.

"Dada, how you do that?"

"This is Earthbending little one."

"Earthbending? How?"

"It's just something that I can do. Maybe you can do it too. How would you like to be a bender like your old man?"

Li-An watched as Vidya's brows knit together as she thought deeply on the question.

"I cannot believe she is only 13 months! It took Lin almost twice as long to talk in full sentences. Isn't that almost unreal Xiao Xue?"

"Maybe she had been touched by the spirits. You did say her birth was challenging." The self-proclaimed medium of the village, Xiao Xue, replied.

"Oh, no. I doubt that is the reason." Li-An quickly interjected.

Spirits were just stories that her grandmother would tell. If they did exist, they don't anymore.

"But, how do you move the earth?" Vidya queried, slightly frustrated at the lacking explanation.

"It's just... something I can do. My dad could do it, and my sister, so there is a good chance you will be able to as well."

"Is there other bending?"

"There's Waterbending, though I have never seen it. Then there is Firebending, but that is no way as good as Earthbending. There used to be Airbending as well, but they all died when the Firebenders started this war."

"War? How long?"

"Too long. Longer than even I have been alive little one."

"You must be so proud to have such an inquisitive child." Mei said as she shifted the baby she was feeding.

"Yes." Li-An agreed, even though proud wasn't quite the word she would have used for it.

Worried… or scared… those would be more accurate.

* * *

When Li-An decided to teach Vidya how to read, she picked it up quickly. Not as quickly as when she started talking, but it was more like she understood what the story was.

The local school didn't start taking kids until they were five, but by the time Vidya turned three Li-An ran out of things to teach.

"Even if what you say is true, I'm just worried that the day will be too long for her. We don't have the staff right now to babysit with how close the fighting has been getting." The principal intoned, her head resting in her hand.

The school was only in session for a few weeks at a time, often having to take a break when children or adults who went there needed to help with mining, farming, or even fighting.

"That wouldn't be a problem. Vidya can spend hours reading, just give her a trial day." Li-An said, half hoping she would say no again.

"I can give you that. There should be class on Monday. Miss. Yu's class should have the space."

"Thank you." Li-An chimed, her glowing face revealing that she actually meant it for once. She had been alone with the abnormal child for far too long.

* * *

 _True story. I was in a fire back in 2012. I didn't die, but they needed 13 fire trunks to take out the flames (I counted to keep my little brother distracted)._

 _What do you think of this so far? I have two different paths in mind for this story, one by land and one by sea. Only knowing that, which path should I take? They end up in the same place, but the journey will be different._


	2. As The World Around You Changes

_Last chapter has gotten more review then any of my other works. That's just crazy too me considering how much I had to change this story from the one I wrote when I was younger._

 _Edit 7/15: This chapter was Beta'd by Rosezelene Ersa_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: As The World Around You Changes**

Before, she was a city girl.

There were times she would go camping, or visit her aunt on the farm, but there were a lot of things she took for granted. Things like… accessibility to education, books, running water, washing machines, etc. It was something Vidya was missing a lot, but after five long years of living in such an archaic fashion, she had gotten used to it.

Vidya had been in this 'school' for two years now. There were only three classes, and the curriculum was particularly underwhelming for the girl. The first was taught to young children to foster reading, writing, and basic math skills that would be beneficial to them in the future. The next consisted mostly of 8-year-olds who were learning basic sciences and memorizing the village's brief and admittedly simple history. The last class offered by the school was reserved for the teenagers and young adults to learn about taxes and skills you need for a job or apprenticeship.

Vidya hadn't been able to make it to college in her past life, but despite that fact she came to the surprising conclusion that she knew more than her teachers, even when it came to their so called "life lessons".

Honestly, not talking back to your elders? Never look a gift Ostrich Horse in the mouth? The depths of their wisdom was utterly astounding.

These facts lead to the reason Vidya was currently in the third level class, hunched in the back of the room over a parchment trying to reverse engineer a washing machine from memory. Her first mom wanted her to be an engineer, but she herself had wanted to be a neurologist. Now though, Vidya couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she listened to that advice. The only subject in school that had been easy for her was math, and that was only when they got to algebra and above.

Not to mention that trying to figure out how to make a washing machine run on its own power is hard enough, and Vidya didn't know how a normal washing machine worked.

It was a challenge, and Vidya needed something to do. She was bored out of her mind, always hearing the repeated lessons that made it impossible for her to forget even the unattractive subjects she didn't enjoy learning.

It wasn't all bad though. Out of all the places to be reincarnated, the Avatar cartoon was pretty good. In her past life, there were times she would take online tests about the element she had the best affinity for, and she would always get air. In fact, it was the only personality test where she got an answer since most of them had her in between two and she would always have to take it again. One of her friends even commented how she had to be really bad at testing to fail a personality test, and secretly, she found herself agreeing with them. It would have been better to have been born after the 100-year war, she mused, but there was magic and Vidya always wanted to go on a real adventure.

 _Maybe this is what I get for using so many of my birthday wishes on hoping for an adventure._ The girl smiled at the bittersweet thought. Her slender fingers brushed over the parchment to smooth it as she worked.

She had yet to find out if she was a bender, in modern terms she was ripe to be a late bloomer, but her father in this life seemed confident that his daughter was an Earthbender. Something about having a strong spirit? Vidya wasn't sure if he met that figuratively or literally, but supposed that either way would work regardless of his intent.

"Vidya! Are you paying attention?" The speaker, a balding man who appeared much older than his 40 years of life, bellowed from the front of the room.

"No." Vidya replied curtly as she continued sketching possible blueprints for her design.

Unlike most of her past - and present – family members, Vidya wasn't much of an artist, so the sketch was little more than a dilapidated box with exposed gears and other mechanics that looked somewhat like limp noodles. The only things that may point to the true reasoning behind the drawing were the written cues for what things were and what their purpose was in the design.

"Vidya. Come up here, now." Her disgruntled elder commanded as he crossed tanned, wrinkled arms across his chest to display his discontentment.

Vidya stood up. It wasn't like she wanted to annoy the teacher, but it was so hard to pay attention when the classes were little more than an overgrown daycare to her.

"Now! What is it that you don't understand, daft child!?"

"Nothing. I understand everything that you've been teaching." Because I already know it all… She added, but left the words unsaid.

"Don't be so arrogant. Maybe a trip to the principal will change your brash attitude."

"Why? I haven't done anything to disrupt the class." Vidya inquired, her honest confusion plain on her face.

Vidya was, and always had been, a model student. She did her homework, aced the tests, and was quiet during class. She never spoke when she was not spoken to, and was a resource for the other students when they were struggling with a subject. _Maybe it's just because this is a small class, and I'm the youngest?_

"YOU HAVE NO RESPECT FOR YOUR ELDERS!" The man fumed, his muddy eyes bulging as his blistered face reddened from the ears down.

"I always considered respect to be something earned, not given." Vidya said, knowing that her words were not going to help her with a man who was baiting her to speak her mind.

It was too hard not to.

Vidya didn't have any friends since the children who were her current age couldn't carry a decent conversation, and the teenagers in her class didn't want to hang out with a 'baby'. It had only recently started getting on her nerves; in the past she had never had trouble making friends.

Vidya found out because of that she has a much shorter fuse when it came  
to dealing with others.

"I told her you were too young to understand this! Come on, let's get you back to your correct class." He ordered while pulling Vidya out of the classroom.

"But I do understand this. I've been passing all of your tests!" Vidya reasoned, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

She may not have been enjoying school, but it was better than staying home all day.

"You must have been cheating."

"Why would I do that? How would I do that? Aren't my grades the best of the class? Who's work would I even cheat from?" Vidya contested, struggling to keep up with the man's agitated strides.

It wasn't her fault her legs were so short compared to the grown man.

"Miss. Wan! I told you my class is far to advance for the girl!" The teacher declared as he and his student entered what resembled an office, his grip lessening until she could shake herself out of his grasp.

Vidya sighed, her eyes flickering to the floor. She wished at that moment that she could be anywhere else.

"Vidya, do we need to get your mother?" The principle cooed, her sweet smile dripping with venomous honey.

"No. I would like to go back to class." Vidya stated calmly, her expression unwavering.

"The class is obviously far too challenging for such a young child. I see her constantly doodling instead of taking notes. In fact, I haven't seen her taking any notes!"

"Vidya, why were you drawing instead of doing your work?"

"I didn't need to take notes because I already understood the lesson." Vidya replied, angling the conversation away from her current project so they wouldn't pry into her "doodles".

"How is she doing on her tests?" The principle's question was aimed at the teacher, not his perfectly capable student who was more than able to respond for herself.

Instead, she was ignored. Like she wasn't even there.

"She get all the questions right. I think she has been cheating."

"Vidya, cheating is very bad."

"I have NOT been cheating!" Vidya replied, aghast that the suggestion had even been brought up. "How many times do I need to say that before it gets through your thick skull?" The prodigy's patience was wearing thin; why were they so willing to believe the worst of her, when all they had seen was the best?

Because of her physical age, Vidya understood why they would treat her like a child. In their eyes, she was one. However, if she had never died she would have been 23 years of age. She was mature enough to see the injustice that was going on, and she didn't want to wait another 15 years to see fair treatment.

"Are you just going to let her keep insulting me?" The teacher demanded lividly, and Vidya knew she lost whatever this argument actually was.

"Vidya stay here. I'll send someone to get your mom."

* * *

It was a quiet walk home. Vidya wanted to wait until her mom said something, but their house was already in sight and neither had said a word.

"Vidya, why couldn't you just stay in the class?" Li-An finally questioned, her voice tired.

"I wanted to but teacher keep making a big deal out of nothing."

"No, I mean why did you want to move up a class? You were already the youngest to start school, I hoped that you would act normal for once."

"What most people consider normal is never the norm, so I would rather just be me." Vidya responded with a shrug as she walked inside.

Vidya didn't like comparing her present parents to her past ones, but times like this it was hard not to. Her past mom was always supporting her, whether it was taking college classes in high school or learning guitar. Trying to become the best 'you' you can be was a common motivation in that household.

Her mom now seemed to fear anything that was abnormal. Vidya always shook her head at this, labeling the concept as just plain silly because 'normal' was just a verbal construct of society. Being 'normal' was just as possible as being 'perfect'. Vidya usually didn't pay much attention to that since she had friends in her past with family members who also tried to play the role of normal. She always saw how it didn't work out for them, and because of that, she often found herself annoyed at how this mom treated her.

"We'll talk more about this when your father gets back."

 _Which means we will never talk about it._

* * *

It was a few weeks after Vidya's six birthday that Cheng decided it was time to teach her Earthbending.

"Really? How are we going to do it? Do we have to meditate or sleep inside of a mountain or..."

"We are going to punch some rocks!" Cheng cheered with an enormous grin.

"Punch some rocks. Okay, let's do it!" Vidya replied enthusiastically.

"Don't be out too late! My brother should be coming home today." Li-An called out as the 2 members of her immediate family raced each other over to one of the abandoned mines.

Vidya's dark brown hair was long enough to be pulled back, which she did. It took more time to get used to having straight hair rather than curly then it did for Vidya to accept the whole reincarnation thing. Mostly she had to get over the fact she can brush her hair without it getting stuck in the bristles.

"Okay, the key of Earthbending is a strong stance. You must be as tough as a rock to move a rock!"

"Got it!" Vidya chirped as she mimicked her father's posture.

"Your feet must be pointing not at your target, but your destination. For this move, it is one in the same, but remember that!"

Vidya gave a nod as she watched Cheng walk over to the side of the mountain, before getting into that stance he showed earlier. With one foot in front of the other, Cheng moved slowly so that Vidya could try. Then as he pulled one arm back, the other one shot forward like he was really going to punch the mountain. But before his fist connected, the rock around him moved back, creating a small dug out.

"That was awesome!" Vidya shouted as her fist shot excitedly towards the sky.

No matter how many times she had seen bending, it still seemed surreal. To see a mighty element heed to the will of anyone was simply amazing to her, and she was convinced she'd never forget that childlike wonder that came with it.

"It will be even more awesome when my little girl can do it." Cheng said as he motioned her over to a boulder that was as tall as he was.

Vidya couldn't get rid of the smile on her face- she was so excited! She wasted no time to get into that stance, even going through the movements a few times so Cheng could correct her should she do it incorrectly.

"Looks good. The important thing is to commit to your actions. Earthbending isn't about how strong you are, but how you use that strength. Now give it all you got!"

Vidya gave a nod before pulling a fist back like how one would draw the string of a bow. As she shot it forward, Vidya thought she felt something. A energy that wasn't there before that was making her hair go wild like an anime character powering up. Vidya didn't pull her punch. She was sure the way she was feeling was it, chi, or whatever allowed bending to happen in this world.

There was a crack sound like when Cheng did it, but the rock didn't move an inch.

"Dad, I think I broke my hand."

* * *

"So this is my niece... what happened to your hand?" The man speaking looked unsettlingly like the mirror image of Li-An, and Vidya shifted uncomfortably to the side.

He was, her mother had said, a few years older than his sister, but one would never be able to tell.

"I punched a rock." Vidya said from Cheng's shoulders as she showed her bandaged hand.

"Why?" Li-An asked quietly. The disappointment in her tone was so great, Vidya thought her mother was going to break down into tears.

"Earthbending. Vidya did well for her first time though. She certainly has the spirit of an Earthbender!" Her father chuckled as he gently set Vidya back on the ground.

"How is my nerdy brother-in-law?" Cheng asked in an amicable fashion as he gave the smaller man a bone crushing hug.

"Good. I just graduated from Ba Sing Se University and I'm one of Professor Lin's interns. That's part of the reason I should be able to visit more often. You can only gather so much from books you have already read."

"Maybe Vidya here will follow in your footsteps. She has already been kicked out of the school for being too smart for them!" Cheng chimed happily while Li-An's face met her palm at her sigh.

"Can we talk about something else? Please. I just want to have a nice, normal, dinner with my family."

"Alright, Mei Mei." Vidya's Uncle responded with a slight smirk. " I have been missing your cooking. Are you sure you don't want me to get you guys passes to Ba Sing Se?"

"What? I can't leave the fight! Who else will protect the town from the hotheads?" Cheng said before Li-An could respond with a more… refined… answer.

Vidya listen quietly as the 'adults' talked. The only thing she knew of Ba Sing Se was the brainwashing and Dai Li ninja people. Still, it was the safest place until Gaang came. Vidya had yet to figure out how long the war had been going on, so it was possible that her knowledge of the future might not come into play for some time.

It wouldn't be a bad option, for her family to move to Ba Sing Se. Vidya would rather have to deal with the Dai Li then the Fire Army after all. Lesser of two evils, or at least an evil that wouldn't kill you right away.

* * *

 _It's a bit shorted then I planed, but I also wasn't expecting people to read this until I had a few more chapters. So You get this chapter sooner._

 _Thank you everyone who follow/favorite this story right off the bat. And a special thanks Cee, DannyPhantom619, HelpfulNudge, Aralys, T-Tforhappy, lizyeh2000, Nerd J Fics, Tsuki, DarkDust27, AngelAmongTheStars, Kawaii-Inari, and the three guests._

 _With my current outline for this story, Vidya will be traveing by chapter 5. I have two different paths Land or water. Land was my original idea but water makes a bit more sense for Vidya motivations. The end is the same which is why i'm leaving the choice up to you._

 _So far it is two for land and three for water._

 _Until next time!_


	3. Try Learning to walk before running

_Warning this chapter hasn't been beta'd yet._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Try Learning to walk before running**

"Are you sure about this?" Vidya asked wearily.

It has been well over a year since Cheng was first started to teach Vidya to earthbend. So far, nothing has happened.

Or at least nothing that looked like Earthbending.

"Mr. Long said this is the best for beginners." Her father said before lifting a rock with his bending.

Vidya got into a stance as she faced Cheng, only slightly worried.

"Earthbending is all about facing things head on, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike." Her dad explained, though Vidya has heard this all before.

"Now get ready!"

Vidya panicked for a moment seeing the bolder flying towage her, but out of everyone in this place, she trust Cheng the most. Sure he can be a little... eccentric, but Vidya knows he would do anything that would harm her. On purpose.

Still, Vidya closed her eyes as she tried 'punching' the rock. Now she knows Earthbending was more than just punching things, though at times it did feel like that was all she was doing.

Maybe it was the whole idea of magic that was giving her this apparent block. As much as Vidya thinks it is cool, there is an apart that still thinks it isn't real. Every time she see Cheng or another townie left up a rock just with some martial art move, Vidya feeling like pinching herself.

"You did it!" Cheng yelled, and Vidya opened her eyes.

There was dust everywhere... and it hurt!

"I got dust in my eye." Vidya told him as she ran out of the cloud with her hands covering her eyes.

"I knew you could do it! Long was right about using a dust clump instead of a real rock. Seems like I wasn't starting out small enough little one. Sorry about that."

"My eyes! I'm going blind!" Vidya reminded him, maybe playing it up a bit.

Still, as far as everyone else knows, Vidya is just a very smart 7 year old.

"Right! Let's go back and watch you off. I can't wait to tell your mother! Now my whole side of the family is earthbenders! And to think Li-An was worried because she isn't a bender." Cheng rambled as he carried Vidya to their little house.

 _I wonder what was different that time. It felt the same but..._ Vidya shock her head. Bending was magic no matter how much Katara denied it in the show. Instead of saying a word or waving a wand, you use your body.

Maybe Vidya just was over complicating it.

 _It wouldn't have been the first time._

* * *

Cheng ended up leaving a week after Vidya first 'Earthbend'. The Fire Navy has been spotted somewhere to the north, and more than half of the village was gone to help the neighboring village. Considering that her hometown was not only a port city, but also a mining one next to a fairly big mountain range, Vidya could only guess how much the fire nation wanted this village.

Vidya tried Earthbending by herself, but it has been _months_ and nothing happened. No holes, no moving rocks. The most that would happen was some pebbles flying across the air before gravity pulls them back down. It as annoying since Vidya wasn't allowed back in school for being too disruptive and Li-An did want her at home for whatever reason. Uncle Zei came back and gave her a few Earthbending scrolls for her eighth birthday, but Vidya knows she is nowhere near that level yet.

Vidya was getting very frustrated at the whole thing.

"Hey look! It's that kid that flunked out of school because she was too dumb!"

Vidya turned around and groaned at the sight of a group of kids maybe a few years older than her. Physically older. Mentally, Vidya was putting then at maybe five years old since they are going quite out of their way to bully her from the looks of it.

"Can you even talk? Maybe she is too stupid to learn how to." A different kid said and Vidya just continued practicing.

Most cases of bully was either a form of coping or attention. Or mob mentality since there was five boys. How many people does there need to be for it to be called a mob anyways?

"Hey we're talking to you, you dumb girl!"

"Ya, pay attention to us!"

Vidya just rolled her eyes.

 _Maybe I should try taking off my shoes and... feeling the ground? Like what Toph did... or will do?_

Then all of a sudden, Vidya faceplated onto the ground.

"Haha! Dumb girl didn't even see it coming."

The back of her head hurt and she stood up fast enough to that black dots filled her vision for a moment before disappearing.

"Did you throw a _rock_ at me?!" Vidya asked glaring at the boys hard enough at at least two of them looked away.

"Nah, I Earthbend a rock at you. To show you how it is done, stupid!"

"Well, maybe I should have a talk with your parents to see what they think of this misuse of Earthbending." Vidya said crossing her arms as the boys started to whisper to each other.

"MY PARENTS ARE DEAD!" The boy yelled and Vidya did feel bad for him.

"That is even more reason why you should be nice to others. You won't have anyone else to back you up if you act like this." Vidya said, almost laughing at the others running away.

She doesn't even know who their parents are.

"I- well- SHUT UP!" The boy yelled as the ground beneath his feet cracked a little.

Vidya barely dived out of the way as a rock was sent her direction. The boy was pissed, and yet he was still able to earthbend more than Vidya. Vidya sampled back as another flew to where she was, before she stood up.

"Fine. I'll show you Earthbending!" Vidya said as she got into the basic stance her father showed her so many times that is was second nature to her now.

Vidya closed her eyes as she pushed a fist out will as much power as she could, imagining that she could feel the Ki or chakra or whatever energy is needed to bend.

"AHHHHHHH!"

Vidya opened her eye with a smile, thinking that she hit the boy. However to her confusing, he looked to be fine. Just on his back and a few feet away.

"Vidya?"

"Dad? You're back!" Vidya exclaimed, happy to see he was safe and alive.

She forgot all about the boy as she ran over to him, and Cheng picked her up like he always does. Cheng looked a little shocked, but gave her a hug.

That was when he noticed the bright red in her otherwise brown hair.

"You're bleeding! What happened? Did _he_ do this to you?" Cheng asked with such anger that Vidya could help but laugh.

She never had a over protective father like this before, and it was ironic considering how often she got injured with him.

"No, we were just playing. He didn't mean to hurt me... right?" Vidya asked, looking over at the boy.

 _Hopefully he isn't too stupid to understand the situation he is in._

"N-no I didn't mean to. I-I'm sorry!" The boy said, standing up on weak legs.

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again." Cheng said, and Vidya wondered if the is was his soldier voice.

"Y-yes Sir!" The boy said before running off.

"Let's get home and fix this up. Does it hurt?" Cheng ask as they started walking, not even bothering to put Vidya down even though he was still carrying his bags.

"It's fine. Did you just get home? What happened to the firebenders?" Vidya asked, feeling lighter then she has all year.

 _Hopefully that isn't because of blood loss._

When Cheng didn't answer right ways, Vidya twisted around to look at him. In fact, Cheng look to be lost in thought. That was something Vidya has never seen before, and she had a bad feeling about what could have cause her happy-go-lucky father to look so serious.

"Um, Dad? He~llo are you there?" Vidya asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Hey my little flower, have you even done that before?"

"Done what before?" Vidya asked cautiously, assuming he was talking about the fight.

"You know, I have been wondering why Earthbending seems to be so challenging to you when you understand everything else so quickly. It makes sense." Cheng said, sounding more like he was thinking out loud then talking to Vidya.

"Ah... what makes sense?" Vidya asked, completely lost now.

For the first time that day, Cheng looked to her and smiled.

"You're not an Earthbender, you're an _air_ bender!"

"I'm a... what?!"

"An Airbender. No, not just an airbender, but the Avatar! My little girl is the Avatar!" Cheng exclaimed and Vidya almost fell out of his arms from what he said.

"Wha-what? No, no no, I can't be the Avatar!"

 _Aang is the Avatar... but I can't tell him that because he is still frozen in a iceberg!_

"But honey buns, that avatar was an airbender, and that was Airbending you did with your friend." Cheng said, a bit more quietly.

Vidya stared at him for a long moment, just taking in the craziness of this situation. It was a good thing they were almost home and there was no one else on the dirt road. The last time Vidya wants was someone selling her out to the fire nation and spending the rest of her life until Aang appears in jail. Then they would kill her because _apparently_ she is an Airbender!

"B-but... if I was the avatar, wouldn't I have been able to earthbend?" Vidya asked, and she sighed in relief as the fallen experience on her father's face.

"That is true."

"Yep, so I can't be the avatar." Vidya said once more, never more happy to see their tiny house on the edge of the village.

"Still, that was Airbending. And before you must have airbender the dirt clump instead of earthbend it..." Cheng mumbled as she was placed down.

"I'm going to go wash the blood off, and get mom to look at it. Or uncle Zei." Vidya announced as she walked to the door.

"Welcome back Vidya... why is it whenever I visit you come back bloody?" Zei asked from the table he was sitting at with Li-An who looked liked she was 100% done with this situation.

Vidya just shrugged before continuing out to the back were the shower was.

Another thing Vidya has made a blueprint for was a real shower, not just a bucket of water with string. However, without plumbing it was going to be hard to get it set up. Which lead to Vidya inventing a more portable version but Vidya doubt it will ever get past planning. A lot of metal was going to be needed for any of Vidya's projects and it will be hard for an eight year old to get.

Her first plan was to get a job in the mine, but that is solely for earthbender and now Vidya knows she is an _Airbender_.

Looking back, it was obvious. However whenever Vidya pictured airbending, she thought of the show and the ball of air that you could see. It never acrossed her mind that might have been just an artistic effect done by the creators.

No. Like an idiot, Vidya assumed that airbending would somehow cause the air to become visible.

She went back into the main room to see all the 'adults' talking.

Cheng was waving his arms around like he usually does when he is excited, but this time Zei was acting just as animated.

"Vidya! How long has this been happening? Can you give us a demonstration?" Zei asked as he walked over to examine Vidya's head.

"Um, I can try? I don't really know I airbend in the first place." Vidya told them.

That didn't seem to damp Zei's spirits, but since the man loves mysteries, Vidya didn't expect it to. Cheng was just smiling and Vidya was about to smile back when she caught sight of her mother in this life.

Li-An looked horrified.

Vidya figured that the women was either expecting Vidya to be an earthbender or not. Other elements weren't even in her mind and now she didn't know what to think.

Or maybe Li-An default opinion of surprising situations is that it is bad.

Either way it hurt to see that women making that expression at her.

 _You think I would be use to it by now._ Vidya thought before Zei pulled her attention back to him.

She gave her uncle a smile and pushed her worries away. Vidya could always deal with it later.

She had time.

* * *

 _Originally_ _I was going to cover more in this chapter, but it has been long enough since this has updated. Anyways, thank you everyone who favorited/followed this story. As for Luna Latanya, TrueNecromancer, lilyoftheval5, Matecito, SandwichGoddess (Your review along with your guest name is hilarious), jdude281, Rosezelene Ersa, Aralys, and DannyPhantom619 thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review._

 _I have decided to take the water route, manly because I ended up coming up with names for everyone on the ship. I doubt more the one or two will appear by name in this story, but it's the thought that counts? Anyways, feel free to point out any mistakes you see or just tell me what you liked/disliked about this chapter._

 _Until next time, I hope you all have a fantastic day/night!_


	4. One Step forward, Two steps Back

_This chapter took a little longer then I thought, but good news is that next chapter we meet an unnamed side character_ _from the show and maybe a main character._

* * *

 **Chapter 4: One Step forward, Two steps Back**

Vidya took a deep, calming breath, before walking into the blacksmiths.

There was only one in the whole town, which was something Vidya thought was odd. It was a port town that had a very active mine, and was a growing town. There was new people all the time, mostly refugees from the war. Li-An never wanted to talk about it, but Vidya did learn from Cheng and Zei that Shan Hai was one of the last Free towns in this area.

Because of the mountain range that surrounds the town and the small gulf that surrounded rest of the town, it was very easy to defend. Then with people like Cheng who was willing to fight the Fire nation whenever they got too close, people felt like this town was safe. Vidya doesn't think that, but where else could these people go? Omashu was in the middle of a huge mountain range, and Ba Sing Se was passed a dessert meaning that finding a boat is the only way most people could get there.

But Vidya wasn't here to stop the war or to solve the referees problem (though it wasn't too much of a problem since so many people leave to fight). Vidya was ignoring all that to do something kinda selfish. Being out of school but too young to get a job was boring. Vidya decided she couldn't just try to teach herself airbending for the rest of her life, she needed to do something with progress that she could see. That was ultimately pushed her to try building some of her 'inventions', and for that she needs raw metal and a place to modify it.

She thought about going to the mines, but Vidya wouldn't be able to do anything with unprocessed metal. Vidya could have checked a smither, but Vidya knew very little about metal works, so blacksmith seemed like the best option. At the very least she could ask them for help.

"Um, Hello?" Vidya said as soon as she opened the door.

A puff of heat greeted Vidya as she entered the small hut that from the outside looked to be two houses that were connected. Inside was just one large room with a furnace with flames leaping up and a burly woman pounding a sword looking stick.

Vidya closed the door behind her and waited for the woman to finish. There was weapons all along the wall, but the more Vidya looked the more she noticed there was more normal stuff as well. Lots of nails and bolts, and stuff that Vidya assumes goes on boats ( _maybe I could look into that_ ) then there was a lot of farming equipments that Vidya first thought were weapons.

"I told Jin that it would be two days. Come back tomorrow." The women said without stopping, scaring Vidya enough that she almost knocked over the polearms she was next to.

"Sorry... um... Ma'am, but i'm not here because of Jin. I was hoping to talk to you about something, but it can wait until you're done." Vidya said as she straightened the weapons, making them look just like how she found them.

"If you want to talk then stay till i'm done. Otherwise i'll just move onto my next project."

With a sizzle, the hot metal stick was shoved into a bucket of water, and Vidya got a good look at the woman. She had a nasty burn along her neck that looked like a deformed hand, and scars littering her face. Besides that, there was some grey hair sneaking out of the scarf she had keeping her hair out of her face, but Vidya got the feeling that the woman wasn't that old.

 _My first mom started going grey when she was 20, could be the same for her._

"Go fetch me some more coals from out back why don't you."

Vidya looked at the woman for a moment, before decided she really didn't have anything better to do. Vidya filled a pail with a huge pile of coal that was just lying against the house like a stack of firewood. Then carried it back in and placed it into the furnace were the rest of the coal was.

"Thanks kid."

For the next hour Vidya waited, sometimes fetching the woman a tool or more fuel for the fire (staying a safe distance away from the fire). There was a few times that Vidya thought about leaving, since she didn't even know what she wanted, and probably didn't have enough money to buy anything.

But what else can an almost 10 year old kid do? It wasn't like she had any friends.

"Ok I'm done here. What's your name kid?" The woman said as she wiped her hands on her apron.

"Vidya, who are you?" Vidya said before cringing at how rude that sounded.

"Ha, you came here looking for an apprenticeship and you don't even know my name?" The woman laughed.

"I didn't come here for an apprenticeship. I just wanted to... buy some stuff for a thing i'm making."

"Yes, 'things and stuff'. There is a lot of that here. But are you sure you don't want to work here? You're Cheng's kid right? I heard that you got kicked out of school for speaking your mind. You've probably been pretty bored."

"Ah, I guess? But I don't... I don't know anything about this." Vidya said waving over the workshop.

"That's the whole point of an internship kid. I get a unpaid helper, and you get experience. Why don't you talk to your parents, and i'll even let you build your 'thing' here for free."

"O-kay?" Vidya said, very confused by this turn of events.

 _But hey, free stuff._

"Nice. Now get going kid. I got shit to do." The woman said as she ushered Vidya out of the building.

It was only when the door closed with Vidya back outside, did she realize the woman never told Vidya her name.

* * *

"We're almost there!" Zei said, almost tripping once more as they walked up the mountain.

"That's cool, but you still haven't told me what we are doing... or even where." Vidya said as she repositioned the backpack on her shoulder.

"Visiting Granma Vidya's tomb, though I guess she would have been your great grandma. She always told told us story about flying people, and I always thought it was because she was a teenager when the war started. However, since you're an airbender, that means that someone in our family has to have been an Air Nomad!"

"It could have been someone from da's side of the family." Vidya pointed out, only for Zei to vigorously shake his head.

"No, no. Cheng's whole family has been Earthbenders for the past three generations. I mean, it is possible, but highly unlikely. Then with our side of the family, Granma Vidya was the only one who wasn't born in Shan Hai." Zei explained.

"Okay, that makes sense... but why are we going to her grave?"

"I want to measure her skull size. One of my old professes had a theory that you can predict if someone can bend based of the shape of their skull. She mainly focuses on earthbenders, being from Ba Sing Se, but the similar also held true for the few waterbenders that live there."

"So you want to dig up our granny's grave... to measure her skull size... and see if she skull was the same shape as mine, thereby also making her an airbender?" Vidya said with a blank expression as they continued hiking, finally at the top of the hill they were climbing.

They were high enough that they could see the whole village. Vidya wasn't sure what other villages looked like, but at least hers was very similar to what she remembered from the show. All the building in the main part of town had green roofs shingles in that style that reminded her of the forbidden city (she visited china the summer before she died). Then as you go out into the farm areas, there was less houses, and the houses there were more what Vidya would call a hut. Vidya couldn't see her house from where they were, as it was outside of the main village but not where the farm lands start.

"Yes, but we don't have to dig her up, she was placed in an above ground coffin like the rest of our family!"

"We are still robbing a grave."

"Think of it more like... archaeology." Zei said just as Vidya saw the graveyard.

 _Wait, is grave robbing just archaeology?_

"Fine. But I'm telling mom it was your idea if we get caught."

"That's fair."

There was a waist high stone wall around the area that they had to step over, even though there was a dirt path not too far from them. Then Vidya followed as Zei walked over to a small building. Inside was noticeably cooler than outside, but wasn't as creepy as Vidya was imaging.

"Were we meant to bring flowers?" Vidya asked, raising a brow at the box that was covered in them.

"Oh, I forgot. Why don't you look around for some, it shouldn't take me too long." Zei said as he carefully removed the flowers and pushed the lid off.

Or at least tried to push the lid off.

"Let me help." Vidya said as she jumped up, some of her hair ripped free from her braid as she floated down on the other side.

"Okay, one...two...three..." Zei counted and the pushed together, the coffin making a groaning sound, but they were able to move the solid stone lid.

"That should be good." Zei said as he pulled a wire looking thing out of his bag and bent over.

Vidya took a look and saw a skeleton wearing a dress.

 _Not sure what I expected._

"I'm going to look for flower so Granny doesn't haunt you for disrupting her grave."

"That... sounds like something she would do honestly." Zei said, stopping for a moment before continuing.

Vidya shook her head as she left. The sun was still in the sky and the trees were just starting to turn colors. Vidya was surprised there wasn't anyone else in the graveyard since it was a nice day.

 _Though, this may be a family graveyard. Sounds like Li-An's family and Da's family have been here for a while._

Stepping over the stone wall again, Vidya walked to the other side. Climbing a little more into the mountain range, Vidya found a few wild flowers in between rocks and picked them. They were tiny things, but Vidya thought they were a pretty shade of blue.

Standing back up, Vidya looked at the scenery once more. Hiking was something she like when it involved having to climb, but as Vidya it was even more enjoyable.

 _Maybe it's an airbender thing._ Vidya thought with a laugh.

She took a quick look around, just to make sure there was no one else, before putting down the flowers and getting into a stance. Vidya knew that using earthbending style probably makes this whole self teaching thing harder, but she didn't know what Airbending was based off of.

Waterbending was based of Tai Chi, which She learned in China for a few weeks. However Vidya has been learning earthbending moves for years now, and even though she can't earthbend, it feels better trying to airbend like that then standing still trying to move the air with her arms. Still doesn't change the fact that Earthbending is the natural opposite of airbending, and Vidya was definitely making this harder for herself.

 _Whatever, maybe I can invest a new way to airbend, like how Iroh figured out how to direct lightning from waterbending._

Vidya punched in the air, watching as the grass bent away, before noticing something over the mountain.

Smoke.

Thick black smoke.

It was away from the village, but beside Cheng being gone months at a time, it was the first sigh Vidya had about the War. It was crazy to think that it was so close, and even worst to think that it might have been closer at one point or another.

Vidya slowly picked her flowers up and headed back, no longer smiling.

* * *

Vidya was in the workshop helping Hua (only took a week to find out her name, and it was from a customer) out when it happened.

It was a month after her tenth birthday in this world, and Zei was already back in Ba Sing Se, promising to get tickets for the whole family. Li-An and Cheng both declined, but this time Vidya talked to him afterward about it. Vidya knew that when Aang and his friends arrived, that was when Ba Sing Se got invaded, while Vidya has no idea if Shan Hai will. She could keep her family safe for a number of years, and then get Zei to leave with them when The Avatar came.

But that's not what happened.

Instead there was a lot of commotion in the street that had Hua closing shop to see what was going on.

That was when Vidya first saw them. In red armor, marching in the street.

The Fire nation has taken control of Shan Hai.

* * *

 _Shan Hai (山海) means mountain ocean. I might add the meaning of the other character's names to the next chapter if people want. I know I always find that interesting._

 _Thank you Queen Mo-Freakin, jamin1227, watertribewolfe (i first read that as Water tri Bewolfe), Gunkas Fee, Nerdy J Fics, Luna Latanya, lizyeh2000, DannyPhantom619, and the two guest. Honestly, thank you everyone who is reading this! This story has been a brain child of mine since the show ended and it is crazy to me that people are taking the time to follow and/or review!_

 _Oh and to the Guest who was asking Vidya's age compared to Aang and everyone, it will be revealed next chapter ;)_

 _I hope you all have a fantastic day/night!_


	5. When it's Time To Move On

_Sorry this took a little longer then usual. Classes started up and this chapter ended up being way longer then I planed. So think of this like two chapter, and maybe that will make up for the wait._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

"...There will be no Earthbending. Anyone found bending will be taken away. However, as long as you pay your taxes and follow the rules, your life will stay the same. You will soon find out that living under the Fire Nation is the only way to live." The well groomed man said, rolling up the scroll he was reading from.

One of the many soldiers had a flame in his hand and was bending it threatenly. It hasn't even been a full day and already they were Annexing the city. Vidya would have been more impress if it wasn't due to how many times they have done this and if it wasn't her village. As it was, the ten-year-old didn't know what to feel.

There was a lot of kids crying, and parents trying their best to calm them. Everyone was forced out of their homes and workplaces to meet in the town square to hear the new rules. Vidya was still with Hua, who had a hand on her shoulder.

She hasn't seen Li-An or Cheng, which was worrying.

Cheng was out fighting, and lost. Vidya didn't see any prisoners, so she has no idea if Cheng was even still alive. Cheng isn't someone who would give up or surrender, odds are...

Vidya quickly cut off that thought. There will be time to mourn later. If it was even needed.

"Come on kid, I'll walk you home." Hua said, and only then did Vidya notice that everyone was leaving.

They didn't talk as they walked out of the main part of town, now looking like a ghost town from the fires that were finally out. It probably wasn't as bad as it could have been. There wasn't a lot of resistance when they came, but that might have been because anyone able to fight, was in the fight.

Hopefully this won't last long.

The town is way to passionate to remain under the fire nation rule for long. Vidya think once a month or two passed people will be less afread and fight back.

Maybe she will even help.

"Kid, I know what you are thinking, but please mind yourself." Hua said once Vidya house was visible, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I can wait." Vidya said, not even bothering to deny it.

Hua is going to be one of the first people to rebel after all.

"What about your mom? What is she going to do once you get hurt, because you will if you keep going on about this."

"I don't think she would care that much." Vidya said without thinking.

"Don't say that. You're mom and dad love you." Hua said and Vidya felt bad.

"I didn't mean to say that. Still, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." Vidya said before taking off before Hua could say anything else.

Li-An probably did love Vidya, but it was so different then the motherly love she could remember. It wasn't fair that Vidya compare the two, but it was a subconscious thing.

 _And yet I don't have that problem with dad and my first dad._

Vidya shock that thought away from her mind, before giving the door a knock and opeing it.

"I'm back." Vidya called out, waiting in the doorway for someone to respond.

For anyone to respond.

The house looked the same, but it was empty. Dishes were left to dry, food from their garden was still in the basket, a broom was lying on the ground. Probably fallen from its position by the back door. Besides that, the house was completely normal.

A stark contrast to outside.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Vidya asked as she turned away from the living area and down the hall that lead to the bedrooms.

Vidya was just hoping that Cheng would be with Li-An, hugging it out. Even when she heard crying coming from her parent's room.

"Hey, can I come in?" Vidya asked, staring at the door.

The crying continued, and Vidya awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other as she debated what to do. Vidya isn't one who likes to be comforted when crying, but Li-An might be. And shouldn't Vidya want to help her mother?

Finally, she pushed the door open.

It creaked on its hinges, but still Li-An didn't stop. She was on the floor next to the bed and nightstand, hunched over with a picture in her lap. Vidya couldn't see it from her position, but she still knew what it was. A family painting they commissioned from one of Li-An's friends. Li-An wanted them to sit with Cheng behind her and Vidya standing next to her, but somewhere along the way Cheng picked her up and Vidya was hanging upside down from his neck like a necklace. Li-An got them to stop, but the artist ended up drawing that scene insead.

The picture was been on the nightstand ever since.

"Mom?"

Li-An looked up, and Vidya wished she didn't say anything. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and Vidya knew nothing good was going to be coming out of her lips.

"H-He's Gone. They... He's just gone." Li-An got out before starting to cry all over again.

Vidya just stood there, in the doorway, looking at her mother who was falling apart.

 _Is dad really..._

Vidya was out of the house before she realized she was running. It was a stupid thing to do, since there would be Fire nation soldiers patrolling the village now, but Vidya kept running. She ran until she got to the base of the mountain before pausing a moment, and started climbing. There might have been a few time where Vidya jumped a little too high, or too far, but it manly looked like she was an extreme climber.

Vidya only stopped once she reached the graveyard.

 _What am I even doing here? It's not like they wouldn't have given us his body back._

Still breathing heavily, Vidya walked in. It seems that either the Fire nation doesn't care about the graveyard or doesn't know about it because it was the same as it ever was.

The flowers from the last time Vidya was where were gone, but that was because they weren't in season. Even from this far away, Vidya could still see smoke coming from the village, from the soldiers who were making examples of what happens if you disobey.

 _It's sick._

Vidya ended up sitting there until the sun was setting, not even realizing there were tears falling.

* * *

Time seems to just drag on as people pretended everything was normal.

Li-An was quite. When they eat dinner every night, there was less and less small talk until it was just the two eating in silence. Vidya had no idea what to do. She wasn't a therapist, she never even graduated high school before dieing! Vidya did end up talking to her mother's friends, to let them know Li-An wasn't handling the grief that well.

There just wasn't much she could do, and Vidya found herself spending less and less time at home.

Vidya continued working at the blacksmith, and honestly the only difference was the increase of ship parts they had to make. Vidya hardly even saw the soldiers after the first month. She knew they were there, but Vidya was still young enough that she didn't have to worry about Taxes, and Hua refused to have her work with the customers unless they were regulars.

Probably for the best. She did take some acting classes, but Vidya wasn't sure what she would do if she had to be nice to a soldier.

Vidya also tried asking what the Plan was, because there had to be one. First resistance happen as soon as people feel a little safe, but restricted. That might even be why there aren't any visible soldiers; they might be waiting for it to happen.

In the end, every time she tried finding out, Hua would tell Vidya to take a break.

It was beyond annoying, but at least Vidya made good work on her inventions. Some of it needed to wait until Vidya can come up with an efficient enough generator for electricity, but she had fun reinventing some of the stuff that was so basic in her old world. One of her biggest inventions is a weird combination of the cotton gin and the combine harvester that uses the wheels to general electricity to help move it. It still needs a ostrich-horse to get it started, but after more than a year of testing, it seems to be working.

Besides that Vidya has made a lot of little inventions. A wind-up generator that can light a 'light bulb'. Then there was the Sextant, but Vidya was told that was already invented. By the fire nation, which makes a lot of since since they have a big navel presents and their ships are made of Iron which means that a normal compass wouldn't work.

"I guess I could try making a Gyro compass." Vidya mumbled to herself.

That would take a while since it also needed to generate electricity by spinning, and she would have to figure out the rotation of this planet. Vidya had no idea if this was a copy of earth or just another planet, and the Gyro compass wouldn't work if her math was slightly off.

"Vidya, come over here." Hua called out, and Vidya stood up from the work table that slowly has become hers.

"Yes?"

"Why are you so interested in joining the Resistance?"

"Oh, so there is one." Vidya said, smiling at the complete 'done' look Hua had.

"You're ten. You shouldn't be interesting in this."

"I'm eleven and age is just a number. I live here, so why wouldn't I want to try making things better." Vidya said, and she does understand what Hua was saying.

If she was a normal kid, Vidya would agree. But she isn't, and Vidya feel like she needs to do _something_.

"You aren't going to let this drop are you."

"No, but I can make a compromise. Why if I just help with the simply stuff? Like organization and passing information?" Vidya suggested.

"Just carrying notes. No, no notes. Just word of mouth, and I need you to be extra careful, one misstep and I'm making sure you move in with that smarty uncle of yours."

"Sound good to me!" Vidya said with a smile and thumbs up.

There was no way Hua would be able to get Vidya passage there. If Zei who lives there and in the middle ring hasn't, how would a small village blacksmith get it? Not to mention Vidya wasn't planning on getting caught.

She was going full on assassin creed on this. Only with no killing, which was how she played it anyways because she was not very good at the whole countering thing in that game.

"This isn't a joke." Hua reminded her, but they both knew that Vidya was just putting up a front.

"What do you want me to do?" Vidya asked with a mock salute that had Hua shaking her head.

But Vidya still saw the small smile on her teacher's lips.

"Go check the windows, I'll tell you in the back."

* * *

Vidya slipped out of the house and bolted up the side of the adjacent house without a sound. It was probably the most useful thing Vidya realized you could do: use airbending to make your footsteps completely silent. It also helped with her climbing and jumping, but being able to land like a cat really made Vidya feel like she was a ninja.

A ninja that was the carrier for a revolution.

They have had a few false starts over the years, and a few more earthbenders have been sent away. Everyone either worked the mines or farms, with a lot of the local markets and shops being replaced by rich Fire Nations who wanted to live by the sea.

More often they were just left there to rot.

It wasn't all bad though. Vidya knows that there have been a few family that have been able to get out of the village and meet up with another group of referees. It was no sure thing that they would be safe, but not everyone can hind their bending for the rest of their lives.

Vidya makes sure any airbend she does could be passed off as luck or physical ability. At this point, it was second nature. Almost as easy as writing or reading, where you don't even notice the effort put into it. However, Vidya also knows what she has been doing is very specific. When it comes to fighting, Vidya still uses Earthbending forms and techniques, only modifying it to fit her needs.

More or less it becomes something like a sonic punch. It looks impressive when Vidya goes up to the graveyard to practice, but she hasn't tried it on a human or another animal yet. It very well might just be a way for Vidya to distract before she gets the hell out of dough.

Moving her bag to the side, Vidya leaped to the other roof, not even pausing in her steps.

This time Vidya wasn't carrying a love letter or extra rations. It was finally time to start their push back, and Hua trusted Vidya to be the one to pass out the weapons. This was the third night, and there wasn't a long list of people who could be trusted anymore. It was bound to happen, as times get harder but not for everyone. Hope was being lost, and Vidya couldn't really blame them.

They were in the middle of fire nation territory which means there is enemies everywhere and no allies. However that has been the case for years according to Hua, Shen Hei has always had to be self-reliant.

When Vidya got to the house that was really more like a farm stable, she hanged off the side before dropping. The puff of dust from her landing was the only mark that she arrived.

"Miss. Yu? Xiao Xue Yu? Are you there?" Vidya called out as loudly as she dared.

It was completely dark, not even the moon out as it was a new moon. Curfew was as sundown, so there was no way Vidya would be able to talk herself out if she was found, but this was also the last one.

There is no set time, no one even knows everyone on the list besides Hua and Vidya (and she wasn't sure if she was the only one passing out the weapons). Hua would give word when the moment was right, and everyone had to be ready.

"Oh Vidya? How are you my dear."

Vidya smiled slightly at the old women.

"Good, I got the stuff." Vidya said, pulling out a tightly wrapped pole like object.

Hua made all the weapons shaped so that it wouldn't look out of place on a farm, and so far there hasn't been any issues. The sword was very quickly placed to the said, and before Vidya knew it she was pulled into a hug.

"Quite, I heard foot steps."

Vidya's heart jumped as she held her breath to listen. Sure enough, she could heard armored footsteps coming closer.

"I need to leave." Vidya said as she moved to get back on top of the houses.

If there has been one thing Vidya learned in this life, is that people rarely look up when looking for something.

"Go, stick to the shadows if you can."

Vidya gave a nod, though it was too dark for Xiao Xue to see it. With an air assisted jump that Vidya usually doesn't do near people, Vidya was already on the next home by the time the two soldiers arrived, but instead of leaving she stayed.

Xiao Xue was standing in plane sight, making no sign that she was going to leave.

"What are you doing out of you home?" One of the soldiers said, a male if Vidya had to guess solely on their voice.

It was hard to tell with the face helmet that they all wear.

"Knee was acting up. I was taking a walk like I always do. A storm must be coming, the spirits are restless tonight." Xiao Xue said, and Vidya could tell that the soldiers were already writing her off as the crazy old loon.

"It's dangerous at night granny. I've been hearing all kinds of rumors lately, so why don't we escort you home and take a look around. Makes sure your 'spirits' stop bothering you." The other one said, and Vidya cursed under her breath.

 _They are going to search her house, this isn't good._

Vidya only had a half baked plan as she stood up, her mind just continuously repeating swear words now.

"You rain of terror ends now!" Vidya said in a low voice, making sure that she was still far enough away that they couldn't see her face.

"Who's there? Answer now!" The boy soldier said while the other one grabbed Xiao Xue.

"I'm batman!" Vidya yelled as she jumped off, not even bothering to use airbending and just did a somersault before running.

"Come back here!"

Vidya grinned when she heard the sound of footsteps following, making sure to head to the more dense area in order to lose them. It would be better to head to the village center, but there would also be more soldiers there. And Vidya just needed to get out of their line of sight, then she should be fine.

 _Shoulda, woulda, coulda._

"Your punishment will be greater if you resist kid!"

Vidya turned sharply down a narrow alleyway and grabbed the edge of a doorway. She covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to calm herself. Even when Vidya saw the two rush past her, she remained completely still.

 _That was way too close. Three years of sneaking around waited. Well, at least they didn't see me._

* * *

When Vidya saw the wanted posters the next morning she didn't know rather to laugh or cry.

 **Wanted**

 **Batman**

 **Was seen running away from our mighty Fire Nation soldiers even when told to stop after curfew. Seems to be a teenager or short adult, was talking in a deep fake voice. Gender unknown. May be connected to the unsubtle among the people.**

 **If you know anything, tell the nearest Fire Nation soldier.**

It was the most ridiculous thing ever, and yet Vidya was hoping that the soldier wouldn't have brought it up. It seems like they are more aware of what Hua has been doing then Vidya originally thought.

Vidya continued walking to her job, make sure to act like nothing was different. Just because they had a poster up already, doesn't mean they will be actively looking for her. They don't even know her gender, but there isn't a lot of teenager in the town.

"What did I tell you." Hua said as soon as Vidya opened the door.

"Not to bring the turtle-ducks in?" Vidya said, trying to make a joke.

But no one was laughing.

"Go back home and pack your things. You need to leave by tomorrow." Hua said as she walked passed Vidya and started gathering things.

"What? I can't leave! It's fine. Really. They didn't even see me last night."

"They are at the school now. It wouldn't be long before they start asking about you, and you are not the best actor." Hua calmly explained, shoving some dried rations into Vidya hands.

"Still, I thought you were joking about sending me to Ba Sing Se. How are you even going to get me there?" Vidya asked, starting to get a little worried.

"I have a ticket. Been saving them. All you need to do is get to the port."

"And how am I going to go that? I doubt I'll just be able to walk out of the village, and you said it will be another few months before we can send people away. And what about the revolt?!" Vidya asked, only to shut her mouth when the bell on the front door rang.

"Do you guys sell ship parts."

A man with greying hair stood wearing some outdated fire nation naval uniform. Acting like he didn't hear what Vidya just said.

"Over on the left wall." Hua said, pulling Vidya so that she was behind her slightly.

It was dead quiet as the man looked over the parts. It was a little odd since the man looked like he was higher in rank then most of the fire nation people that come in. Normal the ships that are willing to buy their stuff send the cabin boy or the like.

"What's this here?" The man asked casually, like he wasn't waiting to tell on them.

"A compass." Hua said, giving Vidya a sharp look that said she was not to talk right now.

 _Fine with me._

"Doesn't look like one. And this doesn't seem like the place that would make something so different for no reason."

"That's because it is different. One of my apprentice made it. Something about electronegativity so it can be used on metal ships." Hua said and Vidya was the one giving her a hard look.

"Is it for sale?"

"1,000 gold."

"That's... a little pricey."

"Sorry. I don't give out discounts." Hua said, which was a lie because the locals get discounts all the time.

"Well, would you be willing to trade it for something?"

"What, did the Fire Nation have budget cuts?" Hua said with a raised brow and Vidya had to bit her cheek to keep from laughing.

"I'm actually no longer part of the Navy. I'm just the captain of.. Well I guess you could call it an exploration mission. Doesn't pay the crew that much though." The man said, the last part a little quieter and bitter.

"Exploration you say? Would you be willing to give someone a ride in extrage?" Hua said and Vidya did not like where this was going.

"I'm not always the one to call the shots of where we go, but I could promise safe passage. Where would I be going?"

"Serpent's pass. Or as close to it as you can." Hua said looking like this was just like any other business deal.

"Hua..." Vidya said, trying to sound threatening because there was no way...

"Our path is already marked out, but we will be getting close to the Earth city in less than a year. Would that work?"

"That and 200 gold. You'll also have to leave tomorrow."

"Hua!" Vidya tried again, only for Hua to cover her mouth.

"We'll leaving at sunrise tomorrow. Pleasure doing business with you. I'm Lieutenant Jee by the way."

"Oh, and if I hear that something happens to the passenger, you should never enter a port outside your little island if you don't want your ship to sink." Hua said with a smile that did not fit her word.

"I will keep that in mind." Jee said before finally taking his leave.

"What was that!?" Vidya demanded to know.

"That was me getting you a way to Ba Sing Se." Hua said like it was nothing.

"By going on a fire navy ship? Are you insane!?"

"No one will think to look there. And you heard what the lieutenant said, it's just a fire nation exploration ship."

"Oh, well that makes it all better. Gotta keep your enemies close after all, what better way than being stuck at sea for months!" Vidya complained, throwing her hands up in the air.

"You'll be fine. I know you are too smart to stay if anything fishy happens. And this way we can use Batman as an escape Ostrich-Horse."

"If you do can you come up with a better name? I wasn't really thinking when I said that." Vidya said because she will never take this seriously if the fire nation actually looks for someone called batman.

"That is your fault. No go home and get ready, I promised Cheng I would watch you, and this is the best way to make sure you're safe. And stay that way."

Anything Vidya was going to say got stuck in her throat. Hua has mentioned that she use to fight with Cheng before her injury, but Vidya never knew they were friends until after she started helping the resistance. It wasn't much of a surprise, Cheng was just one of those people who got along with everyone.

"I... alright."

 _I need to make sure Zei is out of Ba Sing Se once the Avatar is found after all_.

"Good. Be sure to keep using that head of yours. I doubt things will be that simply even once you get to the ringed city."

 _If only you knew._

* * *

Vidya was one of those people almost everyone knew of, even if Haru never meet her. It wasn't every day were a kid gets kicked out after being in a class five years her senior then goes on to get a job with The Blacksmith. Haru keep wanted to track her down, even if it was just because they were the same age and Haru doesn't really get along Lin and Da Long.

Still, it seems like every time the brown hair girl would just disappear. Haru knows this village like the back of his hand, and yet Vidya still finds faster short cuts. It was ridiculous, and part of Haru couldn't help but wonder if it was because she was also an Earthbender.

Mom mentioned that Vidya's father was with Dad when the Fire Nation first came, so it was possible.

It just meant that she wasn't afraid to use it, but was smart enough not to show her earthbending. Something Haru desperately want to do.

 _That's it. Tomorrow i'll wait until Vidya goes to the blacksmith and then ask her to help with my earthbending._ Haru promised himself, not knowing that Vidya wouldn't be coming back to the shop ever again.

* * *

 _So I made up Shen Hei when I started publishing this story, then Nerdy J Fics asked if Vidya was in the same village of Haru. I then looked up more about Haru's village and the location was just where I planed Shen Hei being, and when the Fire nation invaded was the same year I planed on Shen Hei being invaded. I loved that idea, but unfortunately Vidya is just not that interesting in befriending kids._

 _Anyways, thank you everyone who is following/favorited this story. It is really nice when I get an email notification saying that someone is now following the story, expectedly when it has been a while since I've updated. But do you know what is even better? REVIEWS! Thank you so much BlackDove WhiteDove (double review!), Guest on sep 18, BlueAutumn12, Guest on sep 2, VenaHope, Ghost (guest), Ina (guest), Lizyeh2000, Trich, DannyPhantom619, and iluvfairytail._

 _I hope you all have a good weekend!_


	6. Hiding in plain sight

Vidya wasn't sure what she thought Li-An would do when she told her, but it wasn't this. An emotionless 'OK' before continuing to cook.

Vidya stood in place for a few moments, shifting from one foot to another as if that would help her figure out what she needed to say. But in the end, she just left for her room. As much as Vidya would like to bridge the gap between them, she didn't know how to. In her past, if she got in an argument with a friend she would just give it some time or stop being friends with them. A little harsh, but there is a lot of people in the world and she thought you should only surround yourself with people who are good for you.

Family is different. You don't get to choose, and it is much harder to cut them out. Before, she never had to. But now Vidya was going to be on the other side of the land mass and she could break off this now.

Vidya isn't getting anything out of this relationship, and Li-An isn't either. Maybe this will give Li-An the chance to start over.

Vidya just ignored the pain in her chest as she finished packing and went to sleep that night.

Vidya rose before the sun with a leather bag tied to her back and under her oilskin poacher. Li-An was asleep for once, and after taking a moment to wonder if she should wake her up, Vidya ended up just leaving a note.

With one final look around the place she called home for the last 14 years, Vidya left for the docks. The road to the main village was empty, something Vidya only saw when she was doing her rounds, and even then she never walked on the road.

The lonely walk was more than eerie enough to put Vidya on edge.

It was a welcome relief to see the port, active despite the earliness. Most were ships getting ready to ship their raw metals to another Fire Nation control city for smelting, but there were a few fishing ships coming back and some merchant ships for those in the town that are able to afford such goods.

Vidya walked through the early crowd, and kept an eye out for all the ships docked. Mostly fishing and merchant ships that carried the Fire Nation flag, but there on the end was a small warship. The same model that Zuko had in the show. Vidya only paused for a moment to look at it, before realizing she recognized the man standing on the bow of it.

"Of-fucking-course," Vidya mumbled before taking a deep breath in order to calm herself and walking over with an emotionless expression.

Jee waved her up, and waited until she was on the ship before saying anything.

"I figured you were the one she was talking about. Welcome aboard kid." Jee said as he stuck out a hand, and Vidya shook it while biting the inside of her lip.

"I'm Vidya. Thank you for having me."

 _This is fine. It just looks the same. I mean, if anything that means that I'm a decade before the show starts, back when this type of ship was common._

"Don't thank me yet, we got a skeleton crew here so you'll be working down with Mina and Takuma to make sure the boilers are in top shape. Drop off your bags in the living quarters, and after you check in with Head engineer Takuma, you can head up to the pilothouse and set up this compass." Jee explained, gesturing to the gyro compass that was still in a traveling crate, only with the lid removed.

"Ah, okay," Vidya said, standing there for a moment before realizing that Jee wasn't going to escort her there.

Too tired to get _too_ embarrassed over the situation, Vidya turned to the tower in the middle of the ship. The steering wheel should be at the top, with the captain and officers down that. Just based off the number of windows, there had to be at least four floors and Vidya was really hoping the crew lived on that first floor. Turned out the first floor was some type of mess hall that was already filled, but the second floor was just one giant room filled with hammocks.

"Excuse me, are Takuma and Mina here?"

There were a few people still getting dressed, and Vidya was relieved to notice they weren't wearing soldier uniforms. She saw a few on the deck, but it seems like it was only a small group. Vidya could totally ignore them for however long it takes to get close to Ba Sing Se.

"Well shit, when Lieutenant said he found a freakin' prodigy I didn't think it would be some brat." It was an older man, maybe late 50s, and missing a few teeth who said that.

"I'm the head engineer on this ship, but just call me Takuma. Here is my first Mina." The old man continued before Vidya could get a word in, waving a hand over to a woman in her late 20s or early 30s.

"Nice to meet you both, I'm Vidya."

"That's an odd name, but I guess you colony folk always have weird ones." Takuma said before walking away mid-sentence.

Vidya watched for a moment before noticing that Mina was also leaving, and hurry up to the two.

"It's mainly just the two of us who call the shots for the engines and boilers, though most of the sailors here know how to keep it from breaking. Don't bother getting any of the soldiers to help though, they're good for nothing but jamming up the catapult." Takuma ranted as they swiftly went from room to room.

Somehow they got back outside, and behind the tower. Vidya didn't even notice until this point that the Fire Nation had their engines on the deck instead of below it like in her past life. Not that Vidya went on many ships, just a few retired ones that she visited along with a tour guide. Definitely not something that Vidya took notes about.

"This here is the main boiler, Chiyo's usually the one who makes sure the coal is piled high. Then we got the engines, there's four of them, but we usually only use three and just alternate them. Coal chute is at the end so make sure you don't fall in. That's already happened three times with Dong-Geun and he's not even the youngest. Doubly so now that you're here... wait how old are you kid?"

"I'm 14?" Vidya said, still trying to commit to memory everything he was saying.

"Okay, so not quite the youngest, but one of the youngest. Well, youngest person who will actually be helping out." Takuma commented, before taking the time to explain the parts of the engines that Vidya will have to worry about.

Vidya was surprised when she realized she knew most of the parts, just because of how many times she had to make them with Hua. After that, Takuma's monologue wasn't as intimidating. Could also be because Vidya was finally starting to wake up now that it was a reasonable time to be awake. At some point, Vidya got wrapped up in starting the ship up, though it was a little anticlimactic in her mind since she didn't get to see the anchor being raised.

"Now I think Lieutenant mentioned something about a fancy new toy your old boss made?" Takuma said once Mina and she got done.

"You mean the Gyrocompass? Yeah, Jee - I mean _Lieutenant_ Jee - wanted me to set that up in the pilothouse?" Vidya was pretty sure just based on context clues that would be at the top of the tower, but it would be good to make sure.

"This your first time on a ship too? Well shit, Mina why don't you give her a tour while you get up there?"

The young women gave a curt nod before walking to the tower, and a pace that Vidya was forced to walk jog in order to keep up.

 _I cannot wait until I finish growing._

Vidya wasn't too short, haven't passed 5 ft over a year ago, but it was nowhere near the height she was when she died. Vidya was still holding out hope that she is a late bloomer in this life like her last one and will get a few more growth spurts in the years to come.

Mina didn't say anything on the 'tour', and Vidya was too uncomfortable to ask any questions. Hopefully the only rooms she'll need to know it the living quarters and the mess, both which she already found. Still felt like walking through a maze. A metal maze where occasionally soldiers will be walking with those helmets that cover their face.

Oh and Vidya can't forget that there are firebenders here. For all she knows, Takuma, Mina, and Jee might be ones. Sure, logically, she knows that they're probably not evil people, but fire makes her uncomfortable even when it's not being controlled by another person. Vidya is just an expert now at ignoring how her hands would shake while tempering metals. Not like it ever got in way of her work.

After what felt like a lifetime, they got to the top of the tower and to the only door that was on that level. Mina immediately turned around to walk downstairs.

"Wait do I knock or..." Vidya asked before it became obvious the woman wasn't going to stop.

Vidya looked back to the door that looked more like it belonged on a submarine than a ship, before deciding to just open it. If she was doing the wrong thing, then someone will have to enlighten her.

"...We need to check out the other air temples. The Avatar could be hiding out there."

Vidya froze in place, and only partly due to the fact she was interrupting a conversation. Mainly it was because in front of her was who could only be Iroh, and the partly bald teen with a bandage covering half his face could only be Zuko.

 _Wonder if we are still close enough that I could jump off now and swim back._

"Vidya, I see that you are finished getting acquainted with the ship. This is the girl I was telling you about. The one who made a revolutionary new compass that can even work on metal ships." Jee said, acting like everything was perfectly normal.

"What's wrong with what we have now?" Zuko demanded to know, and now that Vidya was looking, he looked even younger than first season Zuko.

 _Though if he's still wearing bandages on his eye, then he must have been exiled recently. How long had he been looking for the avatar in the show? Like two years?_

"The sextant only works when the sky is clear, and normal compass have interference for some reason." Jee answered, only soundly slightly irritated.

"The magnetic fields in the metal create a fault north." Vidya answered before her brain caught up with the situation.

Jee just sounded too much like when Hua was trying to get Vidya to explain her inventions to customers. Unforcurently, now everyone was staring at her again.

 _The door to the balcony is wide open. I could just jump off now. I think it's short enough that if I dive I wouldn't crush my body on the surface of the water._

"See? Vidya knows her stuff, and she'll become a worthy member of the crew in no time." Jee nodded his head at the gyrocompass, and Vidya finally got the hint that she was meant to work on that. Now.

So she did. Ignoring everyone in the room, and her own need to run far away from this situation, Vidya got to work with bolting down the gyrocompass and making sure it was all properly set up. Not like the ship can even go fast enough to cause any errors, so there was nothing for Vidya to correct.

The three men, or really two men and a boy, got back to their conversation that Vidya tried very hard to ignore. Then once she was done, Vidya just left. They didn't need her to explain how it worked, and Vidya needed to get out before she doesn't something stupid.

 _At least now I don't need to worry about Zuko tracking me down if I ever accidentally do airbending since I'm already here._

Vidya gave a hollow sounding laugh as she all but ran down the stairs.

 _I am so screwed._

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, first off I'm sorry this took so long. I hope it was worth the wait though, and the next two chapters will have some fun interactions between Vidya, Iroh, and Zuko.

Thank you everyone who follow/favorited this story. And special thanks to notsofrilly, thanzintay.2000, Khar Thet Thet, Crytal Blue Butterfly, Blue-Huntress (if this is the best si avatar fic you have read then you really need to read "like sands through the hourglass" by Lore55. That fic is amazing), Dark Rose Charm, Guest who said there is no memes in Ba sing Se, Sakura Hatsu (I love it when people comment on every chapter), antisocialFox, Neo KizuNii, WhiteDogwood (Vidya is 14 in this chapter and the end of the last one), CallmeCrazylol, skye-speedy, overboard (once more a guest who's review made me laugh so hard), Branded Lunacy, Storm Scripter, JamieTheMonster, BlueAutumn12, nuke-squid, lizyeh2000, Gunkas Fee, lilyoftheval5, Ina, iluvfairytale, Lurking Pheonix, DannyPhantom619, VenaHope, and Znkp. You guys are the best and whenever I had a bad day I look at your nice/funny comments and it brings a smile to my face.

Hopefully, my next chapter will come out sooner than 14 months, but I have classes starting up again on Monday so it might have to wait until my next break. Who knew getting a major in physics and a minor in math would be so time-consuming.

Anyways, I hope this chapter was enjoyable at the very least, and that you all have a nice night/day!


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